Friday, January 29, 2010

We got the call around 10pm last night that school was cancelled for today, but when we got up this morning...NOTHING! Not one flake had fallen. The kids were so disappointed, but after watching the radar we saw that the snowstorm was still coming, just slowly.

It started snowing around 930 this morning, much to their relief. It was light and stop and go until around noon-ish but since then it has been steadily falling. It is so beautiful. And peaceful. I would say that watching the falling snow is a good stress reliever...unless that is, you have to get out in it for something! I'm not sure how much we are supposed to get, but by the looks of the radar it may not stop until tomorrow morning.

Luckily we are nestled down here and have just been enjoying the day. After my 6 mile steady run this morning, I was back in my comfy clothes and I haven't been too productive the rest of the day. I like it;-)

Thursday, January 28, 2010

"WINTER WEATHER WARNING" - This is what is plastered all over the tv and my inbox today. But I guess the estimates are still a bit scattered because this morning the weatherman was saying anywhere from 2-9"...um yeah, that's quite a range! So we will see. It's supposed to start overnight tonight. I'm already predicting no school for tomorrow;-) I bet the kids at school are all hyper today!

I was supposed to go to STL this morning for my 6 week checkup with my ob/gyn but with the impending weather, I decided to call her yesterday afternoon and see what she thought. I don't know if I've said this before, but she.is.amazing. She told me definitely not to come up today with the weather looking so icky and if I'm running 11 miles at a time, them I am FINE! There is really no sense in driving up today for us to have a little "How are you feeling?" conversation. Yay! So I am going to see her in a month or so, when I am there for something else and not make a special trip so I can start my regular well woman exams. And all restrictions are lifted. So yay!

Also yesterday during our conversation in asking how I was doing I mentioned going to bed with ice packs (which I have been doing for the last week or so) for my hot flashes.

AKA-my broken thermostat.

She said "Oh no, honey, you don't have to do that." She then proceeded to tell me about a medicine that is made, basically, for breast cancer patients that can have no hormones and such that is completely safe for me to take. It will help with my hot flashes and also the ...ahem...mood swings, that I've been told are almost like clockwork every evening;-) I AM more uncomfortable in the evenings, so it makes sense that that is when I would be more cranky. I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS WORKING! I can't even tell you. I know she said I wouldn't see relief right away, but I am giddy with the upcoming possibility that it COULD.

Ahhhh, relief is in my future...and my family's...Ha!

So I'm going to take care of the little princess who is home with me today because of her cough and congestion, and last night she spiked a little fever so I kept her at home today. Currently she is propped up on my bed snacking on dry cereal and watching Disney channel...poor baby;-)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Hellloooo middle of the week!! It's all downhill from here, we are inching closer and closer to the weekend every minute! Hallelujah!

I started my day off around 5am with a close eye on the upcoming weather...and guess what we see: SNOW! Possibly LOTS of snow! And I'm not sure how I feel about it;-) Part of me LOVES the snowed-in feeling, here with my kids all snuggly and watching movies, relaxing and sleeping in...ahhhhh.The other part of me was enjoying the near 60* highs from last week and being able to run outside and not wear a coat everywhere. So, I'm torn. So whatever mother nature gives us, I'll deal. Like I really have a choice, right?!

I ran 5 miles this morning and after my shower I decided to play around with my hair. I discovered that it's finally long enough to do this:

Yes, it's pulled up and in bobbypins!!! I'm not sure how much I like the overall look, but I was kinda excited to do something different for a change. I'm finally getting OPTIONS! I started out trying to get it straight in the back, but I just couldn't get it to look right, or it may be the fact that I am curling iron and straightener challenged, especially when I can't see the back of my head. I was also afraid of burning my own fingers...I've been doing that occasionally because my hair is still a little short and I'm just not used to that! But I have no doubt that as my hair continues to grow that I will experiment more and more:-)

Anyway as everyone braces for our winter weather, I get to make a trip to STL tomorrow. It's my 6-week post-op checkup. It's actually been 7 weeks today but I couldn't make it last week. So after a 1pm appt, it looks like it will be a race to get back home before the snow starts. Awesome.

As for the rest of today, I'm going to do some laundry, figure out what's for dinner, and head to the grocery store like the rest of the people in the area to stock up on "necessities." Hmmmm, is ice cream considered a necessity?? I think so;-)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Hello Monday...gosh it's the last week of January?! How did that happen already?? Crazy.

BUT this DOES mean that we are inching closer and closer to MY BIRTHDAY!! (Which, BTW, is next Monday, February 1!)

I am actually excited about my birthday. I'm turning 32 and I have come to realize that every birthday, heck every DAY, is a gift. I am very thankful.

We were reminded of this gift especially today. January 25, 2008 we lost a very dear friend of ours. Curtis and Jack were in the same class in school and graduated in '94. After graduation, Curtis and his wife, Angie, and Jack and I hung out all the time. Our Zachary, and their son, Hoyce are in the same class at school and have been best buddies since they were born. For years it was t-ball, baseball, hunting, fishing, and whatever else they could get into together...believe me they did! Curtis was always the life of ANY party! He was just a joy to be around. It helps to remember all the fun memories on a day like today when our hearts are sad.

Jack was here at home on a Friday afternoon when Curtis and Angie stopped by on their way home from PB. They had just recently sold their home and were looking at property to build again. He asked Jack if he wanted to go look at it with him and Angie went on home, and off the guys went. Typical;-) They were just big BOYS, off to play. They went and checked out the property and talked and whatever else they did when they were together. After about 3 hours or so, Jack took Curtis home. Not long after that, Curtis kissed Angie and Hoyce goodbye and headed to PB to play music. Music was Curtis' passion. He was a gifted musician, playing the mandolin and truly making it sing. On his way to PB, not 5 miles outside of town, Curtis was involved in a car accident that instantly took his life.

I will remember the phone calls that started flooding in. People telling what they had heard, and was it true? We had yet to hear anything official, so we had no idea what to think, but panic was starting to set in. After a few minutes, a phone call came from Curtis' step-dad to confirm our very worst fears. Curtis was gone. The husband, father, son, brother, and best friend that we had all known and loved was gone.

I know this story is sad to read, but it ends with a happy note. Because Curtis was a Christian and had given his life to Christ, we will see him again someday in Heaven. We hold on to this promise on days like today, because it's all we have.

"You may think that since tragedy has entered your life, God must haveturned His back on you. Or if He really loved you, He wouldn't let thishappen to you. But this line of thinking is flawed. FIRST, Godnever promises anyone a life free from pain. So don't make the mistakeof thinking that God has abandoned you when hardship enters your life. SECONDLY, the presence of hardship in your life does not imply the absence of God in your life. To the contrary, you can be surethat God is there and wants to reveal himself to you when you are experiencing difficulties. Rather than approaching your tough times with theattitude that God has vanished, use these circumstances to find God. HE IS THERE. And He isn't hiding. He wants you to feel Hispresence. He wants you to sense His love for you. He desires for youto understand His purposes for allowing these difficulties in your life.God doesn't remove the difficulty and pain. But He will be there withyou through it all. He is with you when the going gets tough, but He's aperfect gentleman. He won't carry your load unless you ask Him to."

I am so thankful that I can rejoice in the fact that we serve a God who CARES. Who cares when we hurt, and when we are sad. Because on days like today when our hearts are so sad, we can look up and Him and, with tears in our eyes, give Him our burdens.

"Thank you, Jesus for carrying our burdens when our load gets too heavy. And thank you for living in Curtis' heart so that we know we will see him again someday. I pray that You, O Lord, are joining in His Heavenly band today and playing at the most amazing party we could ever imagine. Thank you for easing our hurt and allowing us to smile with hope today. In Jesus' Precious Name, Amen."

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Today has been a slow and easy day for us. Katie and I slept in this morning (it's so sad when 830am is considered sleeping in) because we didn't get to bed until a little on the late side last night. Melody, my friend from Springfield, is a consultant for Pampered Chef (and a fabulous one at that!), and she came last night to do a party for me. Now of any and all home parties out there, PC if definitely my favorite. It doesn't get better than girls, cooking, and food now does it?!

We had a great time and I had a great party! I've spent most of my easy Saturday perusing the catalog trying to figure out what I'm going to get with all my bonuses and hostess benefits! Yay! I love shopping from home, especially when most of it's FREE!! Hehe;-)

There was no running or walking for me today, instead Katie and I did some of this:

We did a little abs, quite a bit of lower body (think lunges and squats), and a few yoga moves to stretch it out a little. And how cute is my little workout partner?! It's doesn't get any better than that, folks;-)

And I'm rockin some of the new gear that I got for my Princess Half...it came in yesterday! Running capris, where have you been my entire life?? I LOVE them! I also got black shorts trimmed in pink. "It IS my signature color." LOVE ME SOME LEGALLY BLONDE!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Other than a little morning stiffness today, I was feeling MUCH better this morning. Yay! I think my muscles have forgiven me...for the time being ;-)

So of course the first I did once I realized I could walk straight, was to check the temp outside to see if an outside run was possible. 54* Yippee!!! How fabulous!! Let me clarify...fabulous for an outside run,NOT so fabulous for hot-flashes when you have a wood furnace that radiates mucho heat even when it's turned wayyyyy down :-(

It took me forever to fall asleep last night, I was so stinkin HOT. For those of you who don't know what a hot flash feels like...um, it's like you are boiling from the INSIDE OUT. And after a few seconds of the boiling, sweat droplets form on your forehead. It is insane. The only thing that makes them feel better is, seriously, to go stand in a walk-in freezer. Not that we have one, so here en lies the problem. And yes, I believe God has a sense of humor...why else would he do this to a woman?! Hehe;-)

But my run this morning was glorious. Here's the stats:

Distance: 5.50 miles

Time: 52:08

Pace: 9:29 min/mile

Obvi, my RunKeeper app heard the rotten things I was saying about it the other day and decided to work today. Thank you;-)

Today I am working with our travel agent to get our accommodations lined up for Disney. It is after all in

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

My legs are so sore right now that I can't SIT on the couch, I can only PLOP...I had to lower myself onto the toilet seat yesterday...and going up and down stairs is uncomfortable.

This has happened for 2 reasons I'm figuring. 1) On Saturday, I didn't run but I did a full lower-body workout. Tons of lunges, squats, squat jumps (oy vey), you get my drift, and 2) My 10.5 miler outside on Sunday which probably just irritated already sore muscles. Once I start moving, I'm good, but that initial getting up and getting going is painful. I KNEW when I did the lower body routine that I would be sore, but this is rediculous! On a bright note, it feels much better today than yesterday...thank you, Lord! Also walking/jogging on the TM feels good because my muscles get all warm and loose (not gonna do a full out run for another day or two). AND I feel good knowing that I actually worked those muscles on Saturday, because that is what I was wanting to do in the first place! So there you have it;-)

I'm enjoying an easy-ish day today. I have a load of laundry in the dryer that will need to be folded and put away (any takers??), and dinner that needs to be planned, I not really sure what we are having tonight...salmon maybe. I also need to get on our accomodations for Disney in 44 days!! We are thinking of renting a house since we will be there for a week. And my parents are talking about coming down for the big race! Oh I hope they do!! We were also talking last night about taking a day and going to Jupiter, FL (about 2 hrs from Orlando) to see our Cardinals play in Spring Training! How fun!! I need to get on this travel stuff!

Before I go, I wanted to share with you an article from Runner's World that Sarah, blogging at River City Fitness, tweeted about this morning, I LOVED it! This is SO me. Anyone who wonders why the TM is the best friend to running mothers needs to read this!!! Thank you, Sarah!

-----> Have a terrific Tuesday, lovelies xoxo

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12

Sunday, January 17, 2010

As Katie reminded me this morning, only 46 days til Disney! I am so excited to have her counting down with me...and she's just as pumped as I am! Of course it's for kinda different reasons, but that's ok;-) She is excited to SEE a princess, while I'm excited to RUN with some!

I spent yesterday afternoon looking at training programs that will work for my 7 weeks until the Disney Princess Half Marathon March 7th. I have the advantage of already being in the pattern of having one long run a week, and several other shorter runs but I wanted to tweak it a bit so that 1) I don't get injured by overtraining, and 2) I am adequately prepared physically and mentally. I don't want to take the distance or the experience for granted.

So I found an intermediate schedule on Runner's World and I'm pretty much going with that. I started working backwards from Race Day, putting the runs into my calendar until I got to today. And lo and behold, today was a 8/9 mile long run...yippee!

So after church today, my mom took Katie and I headed to make myself a quick lunch and head out for my run. It's 60* here today and I was SO PUMPED to get to run outside! Now I don't know about you, but long runs are harder for me mentally than physically I think. I tend to over-obsess about them and totally psych myself out. So with this being my first outside run in quite a while and an 8/9 mile run looming at me I decided to let myself off the hook.

I told myself "Just run as far as you can, don't push too far, you did just have surgery 5 weeks ago. If you can go 5 miles, go 5 miles."

Well I went 5 miles TIMES TWO!!!! Yep, 10.5 miles and never hit a wall!! I got into a good pace pretty quick and just kept going. I felt like Dory "Just keep running, just keep running, running, running, running...." LOVE NEMO! And then toward the end when I was looping around by the car and was considering stopping because it had been 'long enough' I heard Caitlin in my head saying,

"Pain is temporary...Quitting is forever."

Thanks, Caitlin. I don't know where you came from...but thanks;-) So I just pushed ahead. I also saw my brother-in-law and his wife out running, training for the Komen Race in STL in June so I got the pleasure of cheering them on as they did the same for me. That was an unexpected surprise, and a NICE one at that!

So it was an amazing day! The only gripe I have is the fact that my highly-praised RunKeeper app for my iPhone failed me today :-( Yep. According to it, I went 3.94 miles in 1:42:46. Um, right. I KNOW BETTER. I guess it lost signal somewhere and never picked it back up. I was so disappointed, but I just kept pushing because the timer WAS still working and I know that outside I tend to run just a hair faster than 10:00/miles, plus I've run in the same location so much I pretty much know the mileage without looking. BUT STILL! I looovveeee seeing that big ol number when I finish! Not to mention all the other cool stuff it can do. Dang it! I want a Garmin Forerunner. A PINK GARMIN FORERUNNER. Badly. I'm hoping my hubby will read this and get me one for my birthday that's 2 weeks from tomorrow. And the link could help him *wink, wink*

Ok, so now I'm relaxing at home on the couch. I feel much better after my shower...there's was enough salt dried on me to have done tequila shots...I'm just sayin' ;-) I'm moving only to get food for the rest of the day. Have a great evening, friends!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

OMGosh. I am so beyond EXCITED right now that I can't hardly stand it!!!

Guess what I did this morning?! Like you can't tell, right?! ;-)

I REGISTERED FOR THE DISNEY PRINCESS HALF MARATHON!!!!!

We have been talking about it for quite a while, and I knew last year that I wanted to run it this year. But then with my surgery a month ago, and the kids in school, and finances I had all but given up on it happening this year. But recently we started talking about it again and decided that we could go THIS YEAR!

We are going to take a little over a week and make it a family vacation and enjoy every single second. If there is one thing this last year and a half has taught us, it's to seize the moment and take every opportunity you have to enjoy your family and make memories. We could wait until things are smoother and more certain, but why? We have the opportunity right now to make a week full of Disney memories and we are going to TAKE IT!

The kids were so excited when we told them this morning. It was precious to see Katie's eyes light up at the idea that she is going to get to meet her favorite princesses...and the boys' excitement at doing Disney again now that they are older (and that they get to miss a week of school!).

So the countdown is officially on: 47d :12hr :18min :56sec (as of right NOW!)

Thursday, January 14, 2010

I am beyond exhausted from my busy week of baby and braces! As you may remember, today was the day for Tyler to get his braces off. He was very excited about getting them taken off today, as was I! I couldn't wait to see his beautiful smile...it's been a little over 3 years since he got his braces.

Here he is in the car before his appointment:

AND AFTER:

There were beautiful, straight teeth under there! How handsome is my "little" man?! The orthodontist gave him a goodie bag full of all the stuff he's supposed to have been avoiding while wearing braces, they included: a Snickers bar,bubble gum,beef jerky,jawbreakers, and taffy. It was fun! And right now, he is making a big bag of popcorn to munch away on. I think he even mentioned that he wanted to eat an apple, because he hasn't eaten one that hasn't been cut into bite sized pieces for over 3 years! Wow. He's too cute;-)

We had a wonderful day together, just us two. He is such a great kid and I sometimes forget to tell him just how great I think he is. Today was OUR day, and I loved every second of it!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I am writing to you this morning through the little slits in my eyes! I have had about 4 hours of sleep and am going right now on my iv coffee drip and pure adrenaline and bliss ;-)

Doesn't she look amazing?! This was just after she was admitted yesterday morning. Makeup and hair perfect, she still even has her sunglasses on her head. Stylin' Mama! But I did tell her that I may make fun of her if she left her sunglasses on through the delivery! Hehe;-)

I cannot even tell you what an amazing experience I had last night with my sister Jessica and her husband Jason as they welcomed their first child, little Brayden, into the world.

Mama and Daddy both did great. It was a little rough at first, but after her epidural, Jess just sailed right on through. Her epidural lost some staying power just about the time she had to push (I KNOW, what timing, right?!) but I think this was a mixed blessing because she could actually feel the contractions and know exactly when to push...those of you who have had children know how important this is! Just 4 or 5 pushes and Brayden was here, exercising his lungs and already lighting up our lives at 1149pm. It's amazing how something that weighs only 7 lbs 9 oz can have such a HUGE effect on our lives. He's absolutely perfect.

His first act as prince of the household was to pee all over his Mama, promptly within about 30 seconds of being born. It was obviously the first time, but for sure not the last!

I was so honored to get to be in the room when Brayden was delivered. I worked my roles as big sister,aunt, and photographer as best I knew how. I told Jess that it was such an amazing day, also, because it was the first time in a long time that the "c" word never even crossed my mind. How refreshing. Thank you, Jesus. I am constantly in awe how He can refresh and renew our minds and our bodies...I feel like I've just gotten my second wind.

I got home around 130 this morning, got to sleep around 2 and the alarm was blaring at 6. So after some quiet prayer time, the usual morning routine began. After getting the kids up and off to school this is how the rest of my day looks:

Dishes, laundry, and the usual housework

Go see Layne, Brett, and the boys who are here to meet Brayden

Run (I know, I'm nuts, but it refreshes me)

Get kids from school

Take kids to meet their new cousin because they didn't get to stay long at the hospital long enough last night...they are beyond excited, especially one certain little princess ;-)

Dinner out with the family (at least I don't have to cook!)

COLLAPSE AND SLEEP SO SWEETLY TONIGHT!

So I will leave you with one last shot of our little Brayden, our little gift from God. He was so alert and looking around...and hungry! I absolutely cannot WAIT to see him again this afternoon! Have a great Wednesday. Love y'all <3>

Monday, January 11, 2010

As you can see from this picture, this is not the best way to start the week!

What you see here is a precious little Kindergartner, who upon being told to go put on her shoes and get her coat, cried big ole crocodile tears and said "But I don't wanna go to school." :-(

While I cuddled her and asked her why not, she said "Cause I will miss you, Mommy." Pretty much broke.my.heart.into.pieces.

I thought this would quickly pass and she would be fine once we got in the car and got ready to go, but no such luck. Recess was in the gym due to the cold temperatures and I went to morning recess with her and sat with her against the wall while she continued to cry and tell me she wanted to go home. After making sure she wasn't sick or feeling bad, I assured her that yes, I would miss her too, but that she had to stay at school. Why??

Um, because it's the law. Yeah. I totally went there.

When recess was over we went back to her classroom and I sat there with a couple of other moms who had criers this morning, and as her friends started coming to see her and talk to her [and after I promised to take her to the dollar store after school if she quit crying] she dried it up and went to start reading!

Whew. Seriously, the most stressful 30-minutes of my day! It's so hard on me when she does that, because all I want to do is load her up and take her home! But I know I can't do that...that is not helping her at all. AND I know that once I leave, she will be fine...which she was (her teacher texted me and said she was doing great 10 minutes after I left). Crisis over. I hope and pray she does better tomorrow. I think getting back into the routine will help.

I hope your Monday had a better start than ours! Make it good y'all!

xoxo

"All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace." Isaiah 54:13

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Sorry it's been a few days since my last post! On Wednesday night we got some snow that kept the kids out of school on Thursday and Friday and y'all know how much I love to have my babies at home:-)

The kids and I were out in it at 8am on Thursday morning! So much for sleepin in on the day off school;-) But I'm really glad we did it early because it has even gotten colder since then, continuing through this morning when it was -2!!! That's crazy cold right there. I'm assuming they will have to go back to school tomorrow, although the snow hasn't melted any that's for sure! But we only got a couple of inches so it should be fine I would thinkWe are gearing up for a busy week around here! It has been determined that unless she goes sooner, that Jessica and Jason are going to have little Brayden on Tuesday!!! I am so excited for them and SO EXCITED TO BE AN AUNT YET AGAIN!!! I just can't get enough of these little nephews, can ya tell?! Jessica is supposed to be at the hospital at 830am and they will push her labor along, she's already dilated some so she just needs a little nudge. I.cannot.wait!!

I have an appointment with a cardiologist on Wednesday in STL to talk about my high blood pressure but I'm going to call and reschedule in the morning. There's just too much going on this week. If I were having problems I would certainly keep it but since it's just a consultation, I think it'll be ok to reschedule;-) As a matter of fact, I've mentioned this lightheadedness I've had going on for 3 weeks or so and I think we've got it figured out to be that I am on too high of a dose of my bp med. After all it takes 6-8 weeks to become fully effective and my dizziness started 2 months after I started taking it. So we cut my dosage in half in hopes that it will take care of it. It seems to be much better yesterday and today, and in checking my bp here at home, it's been really low lately....so the med seems to be culprit. Good thing. You can imagine the things that go through a cancer survivor's head when she has anything out of the ordinary!

Speaking of out of the ordinary, my mood has certainly fallen into that category the last couple of days:-( Menopause doesn't seem to bother me too much most of the time, but when a "down" mood hits, it hits. But after a 9 mile run and a great church service today, things are looking up:-)

Thursday is an exciting day as well because after 3 long years, Tyler gets his braces off!!! He got some of the back ones off last Wednesday and they will take the rest of them off on Thursday. I can't wait to see him without them! I know he will look so different. I never had braces, but all of my siblings did and they said that you feel as if you are "all teeth" when you get them taken off. Hehe, I think he's excited too but, being the macho teenager he is, he won't show it too much;-)

Well that's what's been going on around here. I hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready for the work week to begin! It's coming, ready or not! Have a good one <3xoxo

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

I hope you are having a rip-roarin good Tuesday morning! We are in the middle of a deep freeze here in Missouri...it was 2 DEGREES this morning when I woke up! I don't care who ya are, that's COLD!!! And we may have snow on the way tomorrow night/Thursday morning. I have kids who are praying hard for snow days. They don't enjoy them so much come May, though, when they have to make them up.

I want to take just a second to share with you something that has been laid on my heart regarding a 6-year old little girl named Kate McRae. She is in Children's Hospital in Phoenix battling a malignant brain tumor. I can't even remember how I ended up at her site the other day but I instantly felt a connection. I don't know if it's because of the out-of-nowhere diagnosis that I've had myself or the heartache I feel for her mother, Holly, or the fact that I have a 6-year old named Katie.

But however I ended up at her site, I believe was no accident. I feel very led to pray for Kate and her family. Her parents, Aaron and Holly, have placed their strong faith in God ahead of anything that has come their way and is letting Him lead and I can't even imagine how their faith has been tested seeing their child suffer so.

So if you wouldn't mind sending up some prayers for little Kate and her family. They are in desperate need of your prayers and I'm sure covet every.single.one. You can read their journal with daily updates on her condition here. Thank you in advance for every prayer said <3

*********************************************************

Today looks to be much of the same. Kids to school, treadmill time, a foundation meeting, and some of the housework that didn't get done yesterday...oops! Whatever YOUR day looks like, I hope it's great and WARMER than it is here! Love y'all:-)

Monday, January 4, 2010

Well we weren't really belated in celebrating my Mom's birthday, but I AM belated in posting it!

My Mom couldn't hide from the camera on her birthday, we were insistent on taking some pics! She is fresh off her eyelid surgery and can't wear makeup or anything for a month or something, but I think she looks great...and always looks beautiful:-)

My Mama is a new year's baby, celebrating her birthday on January 1. Her birthday sometimes gets juggled around with all the other Christmas season-stuff that goes on, but we always make sure and celebrate with a dinner at home (since everything is closed on NYD). My dad mans the grill and cooks up delicious food, usually steaks. Thanks, Dad for grilling me some fish this year since I don't do the whole red-meat thing;-) My sisters and I prepared all the sides for the rest of the meal: broccoli and rice casserole, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, a big salad, and rolls. And of course birthday cake and ice cream! We had a great dinner, but even better was the time we spent together. We missed my little brother, Matt, though...he headed out to see Mason and Charli.

Our impromptu photo session caught us all being silly! Mom had all these aprons in her kitchen so we were acting goofy by wearing them and posing for pictures! I looked like a total pioneer woman, I don't know what's up with that?! Then there's Layne in the plaid apron who just delivered precious Caleb and Jessica who is 9 months pregnant and may pop at any moment! And me fresh off my hysterectomy...we are quite a group! My poor Mother deserves MUCHMORE than a party after dealing with everything from raging hormones to no hormones all at once! Hehe;-)

**********************************************************

This morning I continued my Pray 7x7. I told the kids what I was doing this morning and was showing them my notecards. I was expecting something like eye-rolling and whatever from them (especially the boys) but I got a "Oh neat!" and a "That's cool!" They really liked that I put their names in to each prayer. I told them as we were going to school that I would be saying another prayer for them at lunch and Katie said "Will you pray for me at ten o'clock?" (Kindergarten eats lunch at 1030am...I know, right?!) I said of course! Then Zachary said "Will you say another one for Tyler and me at 11:15?" (when they eat lunch). Yep, that one little request got me right in the heart. Bless their precious hearts. I was so excited to say "Yes" to their request. Oh I am just bursting as I type this :-D

My house was so quiet when I got back home this morning. I fixed that for a little while by cranking my Worship Jamz and busting out 5.5 miles on the TM. Any hopes of an outside run are done for quite awhile...it was SIX DEGREES this morning!!! Crazy. I've said it before, I am a very picky outdoor runner...too hot or too cold and I'm on my friendly TM. And single digits is def TOO COLD! That's just how I roll.

Jack and I have done mucho office work today and I think my desk is mostly ready for a new year. Now if only I had made so much progress in my laundry room and in Katie's room. I think Christmas exploded in Katie's room...sigh... When will she be old enough that I can say "Go clean your room and don't come down until it's clean!" I mean, she is only 6...seems a little harsh right now. Or maybe she's just the baby girl...um yeah, that's probably it;-)

I'm off to get things around before I go get my little ones from school. And I need to go to the store to get something for dinner. I'm thinking Dorito Chicken, maybe.

Oh BTW- I just noticed that this is my THREE-HUNDREDTH POST! Cool! I like even numbers;-)

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Happy Sunday, friends! I hope that you all have had a restful day, preparing for normal Monday-Friday schedules beginning tomorrow...boo. I am secretly enjoying all the laziness around here. And y'all know I like having all my babies at home.

My morning began at 7 this morning...sad when that's considered sleepin' in! I spent about an hour in prayer time with God and commited to something new this week. I have decided to spend this first full week of 2010 lifting up my children in prayer. I got this idea from Angie over at Bring the Rain, when she has done this in the past. What it's called is Pray 7x7. You can click over to read all about it, but what it amounts to is committing to pray Scripture over your children 7 times a day at certain times of the day for 7 days:

As they wake up,

Get dressed,

Eat,

Go out of the house,

Bathtime,

Bedtime,

And as they are sleeping.

I believe it is so important to pray constantly and who better to pray God's protection and guidance over than our children? But this would work just as well for a spouse, other family member, or friend and anybody else you would like to commit to pray for. I'm excited for the week and pray that God will pour out His blessings upon our families!

*****************************************************

I also started back on my running schedule of making Sunday my longer-run day. I hopped on the TM for 5 quick miles before church and then another 3 this afternoon. I'm feeling great and stronger every day! Praise Him!

Ok, I'm off to find a snackie snack and then check out my Paula Deen magazine for new dinners this week. She even has a veggie lasagna! Oh yeah, I'm excited!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

"Twenty-Ten"? Is this how we are supposed to address our new year? Or should we say "Two-Thousand and Ten," or just simply "Ten?" Any thoughts? I dunno. The hubby and I had this discussion the other night. We didn't come to any solid conclusions, so I guess it's up to each of us to determine how we want to say it. Good to know;-)

I can't believe we are here already. It seems like only yesterday that we were rolling into the year 2000, worried about Y2K and what the new milennium would bring. Seems like yesterday and ages ago at the same time.

Kinda like in '99, I was ready to see '09 come to an end. 1999 stands out as a year of heartache. My sisters lost two of their very best friends in a tragic car accident, Kaitlin and Kory. My heart still breaks at the loss of these two beautiful kids who went home to be with Jesus at the ages of 16 and 15. Another unspeakable tragedy was on Labor Day weekend that took a whole family to live with our Lord. Matt, Amy, and their 17 month old son Seth died in an car accident on their way to a family gathering for the holiday weekend. Matt had been our pastor before they moved back to STL, and they were very close friends of ours. I really can't talk anymore about it, it's just too hard. Even still.

But, my point is that '99 and '09 have striking similarities. Both were years full of difficulty and pain but also in both years, God showed up in a big way. I saw God carry families, friends, and hundreds of heartbroken teenagers through their grief and use horrible circumstances for His glory. And, in a way, the same goes for '09. I started the year with chemotherapy and ended it with a hysterectomy after a blow-me-away-diagnosis of breast cancer. And much like in '99, God has provided strength, peace, and mercy...and along with these provisions, He has carried me. He has used what could have been an excuse to turn away from God, into an opportunity to trust Him and praise Him! Praise Him in all things.

So as 2010 begins, I am thankful for the opportunity to grow closer to and deepen my relationship with God. I am praying and Believing God for a healthy and happy year. I am also asking God to open my ears so that I can clearly hear Him and know what it is He wants me to do with my life.

I was led to Angie Smith's blog, Bring The Rain last night and somewhere in her beautiful words and sentiments a phrase stood out to me:

"Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening."

That is how I have begun this new year...by inviting God to speak to my heart and I invite you to do the same. Imagine the blessings that could be in store for us when we openly and fully invite God to speak.

MY BREAST CANCER JOURNEY

Hey! I'm Erica, a 34-year-young stay-at-home mom of 3 wonderful, active children and a breast cancer SURVIVOR. My husband, Jack, is still my high school sweetheart and we have been married for 17 years. I live in a tiny town in Missouri, taking care of my family and soaking up every minute in every day. I am a lover of Jesus, running, coffee, girl-time, positivity, dancing, fruits & vegetables, shopping trips, and sports. I begin each day with the intention on pleasing the Lord and because of His amazing grace, at the end of the day, He loves me anyway. So on my blog you will be seeing my 3 favorite little people (and my favorite big-guy!), my hopes, my dreams, and my prayers. Sometimes it gets a little crazy around here, but if you are up for keeping up with a busy mom, let's go!

You can contact me by email at: jegriffin @ centurytel . net

Ah, Sovereign LORD,You are my hope, the Lord of my life. I wait on you and move cautiously in my decisions. I'm not ashamed to trust in Your guidance, Lord. Instead, I feel thankful for the encouragement and surety You give me. As I trust in You, I'm filled with peace. Throughout the day, my thoughts often turn to You for direction and strength. In quiet confidence I find strength only You can give. You, dear Father, are my Rock and my Defender; I shall not fear. I know in whom I believe and I'm persuaded You keep me close to You day by day. I look to You, I doubt not in Your unfailing love for me. Thank You. In Jesus' name, Amen.-Anita Corrine Donihue